Miniature Fiction: Another 50 Very Short Stories Read online

ultimate triumph. Ah, I knew just what to say, "Bazinga!"

  26. Oracle 3

  I went out for supplies yesterday, I was afraid, but I had no choice. I was nearly overrun, bit and now I know I'm infected. It's all over for me, I sent one last data packet out, and then held my gun to my temple.  The End.

  27. Hacking for Healthcare

  If he'd been born 20 years ago he'd most likely be hacking into credit cards so he could buy useless junk. Now, with a plaque of killer flu sweeping the world, the most valuable commodity was healthcare. Not many had it which is why he had spent two hours hacking into Blue Cross and forging some document for himself.

  28. Common Sense Gun Control

  James watched from his office as the fleets of black Suburbans raced through downtown, being pelted with debris the whole way. The city he grew up in was a shit hole, the violence capital of the world and after the Gun Control Act of 2015 no one had any means of protecting themselves - unless you were one of the politicians or the rare "elite." Not for the first time James cursed the elite who drove around town safe and secure -  later that night James was murdered in the parking garage with an illegal handgun.

  29. Step Goal or #Don'tHustle

  Mary-Anne bought herself one of those fancy activity trackers for her birthday. For several weeks she loved it as it motivated her to be more active and eat healthier. One day 57 she'd set a goal of 15,000 steps and she had 100 to go; so she jogged in place before she hopped into bed - of course that was when she slipped and broke her ankle.

  30. Ultimate Catfish

  Mark got a job when a new factory opened up; it was the best experience of his life. For two weeks he did interesting work, met a lot of awesome people and felt fulfilled for the first time in his life. On day 15 he drove there only to see the building boarded up, no sign of his wonderful co-workers - internet searches showed no information about the company and no digital footprint of his work "friends."

  31. Why Have You Brought Us Here?

  I was following my friend Jason at 2 am because he said it was vital. When we stopped  in the middle of a park with nothing and no one around, I didn't understand. When I felt the knife slide into my back... I think I finally understood.

  32. #Occupy My Heart part 5

  Inauguration Day came and the Occupy Movement met the Tea Part in a battle of protests, as usual and on schedule. "Jenn and Steven are together," Larry shouted as he told both sides that Jenn, an Occupier and Steven, a Tea Partier, were lovers. The horror this caused on both sides was everything Jenn and Steven had feared it would it would be; a fight started, a shot and a scream... but who had been hurt?

  33. Atlas Shrugged

  He sighed as he moved ever so slightly to ease his burdon, the weight of the world literally on Atlas' shoulders. Mother Nature always talked about how hard it was to control nature, and Father Time constantly whined about the responsibility of keeping the universal continuity strait; did they realize how much weight he carried all the damn time? "Fuck this shit," Atlas shurgged and the Earth tumbled into oblivien.

  34. Fever for Co-Workers

  Janice knew about the unwritten rule not to show up to work with a fever, she blantantly ignored it. With a temperature approaching 103 degrees she had guzzled a full battery of drugs just to stay upright and get to work. When she got everyone else horribly ill it would all be worth it.

  35. Making Room in the Liquor Cabinet

  New tequila meant I had to make room in the liquer cabinet. I combined various bttoles of cheap vodka, finished off two almost empty jugs of wine and guzzled some beers. By the time I was done I was drunk as a skunk, but at least i had room for more alcohol.

  36. No More Books

  The decree came unexpectedly one morning, packed into a massive federal bill about spending, farming, law enforcement and the stock market. An almost insignificant line tucked away  in the bowels of the bill that no one read, especially not the President. In the interest of promoting the Digital Economy it outlawed all paper books; the huge, federally managed book burning bonfires could be seen for miles.

  37. Cake for Breakfast

  Trying to maintain my diet I searched through the kitchen for something nutritious to eat, thats when I saw chocolate cake. My brain mentally ran down the list of ingredients: carbs, sugar... EGGS, MILK; eggs and milk, thats nutritious! I greedily stuffed my face with my imagined nutritious meal; when I woke up in the hospital later they told me I had a heart attack at work.

  38. The WOW Factor

  The property manager confidently told James and Olivia that they would be blown away by the room. He opened the door to show a tiny room with a tiny bed, sink, closet, dirty floors, and one hanging exposed light bulb. It took their breath away, "We'll take it!"

  39. The Call Center

  Last week, it was busy - three shifts of people manning the cubicles 24 hours a day. The work was nothing special, but everyone was busy and happy. Now, the news of cubicles sat empty and dark.

  40. Victim of My Success

  Surrounded by my excesses, I was suffocating. My huge home was filled to the breaking with 13 kids from two wives and two mistresses, 10 dogs of varying sizes, 4 nannies and maids - and I was literally dying on the inside. Finally, it was all too much, one day I walked out the door and never looked back.

  41. The Game of World Domination

  The assembled leaders gathered around the high tech displays which showed a huge, complex, 3D holographic display of the Earth in various colors. Tired of war they had all agreed that this was how they would settle all their differences. The President of the United States rolled two sixes and America bloodlessly took over Cuba.

  42. Playing With House Money

  I had reached the highest of highs, started from nothing and risen to make billions. Now, with the economy in turmoil, I lost everything. No, I never set anything aside for the kids, why would I have?

  43. Call Me!

  Jeff heard the nameless girl enthusiastically tell him to call as he shot the door, nameless to him anyway. When he was done with them, he always forgot them right away.

  44. What Is This Noise?

  I knew my wife really wanted the movie "Looper" for Christmas, so I got it for her. She tore off the wrapping and then stared at me, stonefaced. "What the fuck is this, you got me a DVD instead of Blu Ray?"

  45. My Bones Are Broken

  No one ever believes me, but I use to be strong, hugely powerful. Men feared me, other men wanted to be me. It's all over, my body is broken, I'm broken...

  46. Double or Nothing

  When I first go on the winning streak, my friend Chris and i would always bet double or nothing. Well, after two years of betting double or nothing, Chris owed me a substantial amount of money - he owed me his whole life really. This made his frantic phone call even more surprising, he wanted one more double or nothing bet, and I happily obliged.

  47. You Will Curse the Day...

  The President called the media to broadcast his speech, and of course they agreed. The timing intrigued them and there was great anticipation about what the President would say. The President spent 3 hours detailing his vision for the future and his demands, then he went on to say that if the American people and Congress defied him - the consequences would be disastrous.

  48. Could You Pull Over?

  I asked John halfway into our 8 hour trip to pull over, he refused. 45 minutes later I asked again, he said no, that we were almost at a rest stop. I did what I had to do, I turned my head and threw all the previous nights alcohol up right into John's face.

  49. D.I.Y.

  I became mildly obsessed with the "do it yourself" movement, I hand made my own wallets, book shelves, glasses, shirts... everything. For some reason when I made my own car everyone refused to get in; something about "safety" nonsense.

  50. Comic Book Villain

  They all said I was mad; the media, Congress the American public thought I had lost my mind during  my speach to the w
orld two nights ago. Some congressman from the backwaters of Alabama said it was like something out of a bad movie, or a comic book. When my robot drones sealed the halls of congress and gassed all the Senators and Representatives, nobody questioned how serious I was.

  to be continued....